Senior Meredith Schmerda likes keeping her career choices open—so long as she gets to use her hyper-creative mind—and that was a significant contributor as to why she chose communication studies as her major.
“As a little freshman, I wanted to do something very broad because I didn’t know what I wanted to do and that still applies today. I would love to do something in the entertainment industry, whether it is music or TV,” she said. “Communication studies allowed me to use those options and exhaust every creative option.”
As she continues exploring all the possibilities for her future, Schmerda’s modus operandi has been to constantly put herself up for internships and other professional development opportunities. That’s how she ended up as one of two participants from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, at the inaugural Jupiter Entertainment First Launch program in early March, which was also attended by students from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Hampton University, and Pellissippi State Community College.
Jupiter Entertainment is a Knoxville-based production company known for its scripted non-fiction, true crime shows, including Snapped, Killer Couples, and Homicide Hunter. The program is an immersive two-day production bootcamp that exposes students to every part of the production process, from pitch to the final product.
Schmerda said she is always on the lookout for experiences that can provide her with skills or information about the career field, so when she saw the opportunity advertised, she jumped on it. Her opportunism was heavily influenced by School of Communication Studies Associate Professor John Haas, who Schmerda has had as an instructor in classes for the past year.
“I saw that opportunity and thought, ‘John Haas would love this that I’m taking a step.’ He always encourage me to do stuff like this because I’ll never look back and regret it. He’s just the biggest encouragement on networking and doing things you can put on your resume,” she explained.
The two days she spent at Jupiter Entertainment were jam-packed with office and studio tours as well as meetings with various employees who provided in-depth overviews of what their jobs entail. Schmerda said it confirmed her desire to work in the entertainment industry and gave her a better understanding of all the moving pieces needed to create and produce a show.
“I did not know much about the whole process, which was cool to see in depth; they gave us so much information I would’ve never gotten anywhere else if it weren’t for this bootcamp,” she said.
Every one of the experiences Schmerda has grabbed onto continues to help her hone down what exactly she would like to do after graduating in May. She knows most people don’t find their dream jobs right after they finish college, and she’s happy to explore different types of jobs until she eventually finds a niche that provides the right outlet for her creative energy.
She’s currently interning with Digital Motif, a boutique agency in downtown Knoxville. The agency owner, Sacha Keenan, put Schmerda in charge of four small accounts, which has allowed her to flex her creativity and think outside the box. She has enjoyed the responsibility as well as the chance to work in a downtown environment.
“Honestly, my college experience has been better because of this internship,” she said, noting that she learned about the internship when Keenan spoke to one of her multimedia classes. Schmerda followed up by emailing the agency owner and asking if there were any available internships, which is how she got the Digital Motif internship.
Along with her communication studies major, Schmerda is earning minors in graphic design and digital media, the latter of which she said added a lot of value to her knowledge. The Digital Media minor is offered through the School of Journalism and Media, and includes courses such as Digital Content Creation, Media Marketing and Promotion, and Audience Analytics.
“I added that minor last year, and I was one of the first few people with it and I really recommend it for anyone in communications who wants to do a marketing or entertainment route. It allowed me to expand my communication classes and also use my creative skills in a really applicable way,” Schmerda said.
The senior has been relentless in her networking, cold-emailing people and connecting with them on LinkedIn, even if it is just to talk to people in the entertainment industry so she can better understand the various careers within it. While she hasn’t found the right post-graduation job or internship yet, she isn’t concerned as she knows all the work she put into building her resume and network will pay off eventually.
“It’s a shot in the dark most of the time, but two of [the respondents] said, ‘What you’re doing is what you need to be doing, and you’re going to send so many emails, and you only need one.’,” she said.